who are we?
Our story
From Andrew Zheng (Co-founder), Hopkins '24
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SpeakUp was first founded when Krish, Adam, and I observed the lack of accessible opportunities for students interested in debate to progress their journey. High-cost programs and tournaments, along with limited school club resources, made the choice of pursuing debate a cost-benefit analysis rather than about passion and growth. With backgrounds of teaching and tutoring debate already, the transition to SpeakUp came naturally and we began our first classes.
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But when we asked ourselves why we believed debate was so beneficial, the answer boiled down to two underlying core values: open-mindedness and critical thinking. While on the surface debate taught us to be public speakers and competitors, the most important lesson we took from our debate experience was to be good communicators. Krish, Adam, and I saw how this lesson could be expanded into spheres beyond just debate, and so, SpeakUp as it is today, was born. Through our debate and town-hall programs we hope our organization becomes a space of open-minded conversation for students of all backgrounds.
Our Philosophy
Which is better at problem-solving? A group of diverse individuals with differing ideologies or one of like-minded people? At SpeakUp the answer is always the former, simply because when people disagree, ideas will be challenged, built upon, and polished. Discourse is the foundation of problem-solving. Whether that be in the STEM sphere or the realm of politics, every issue is hard to tackle when alone - power lies in numbers. This means we must be equipped to listen with an open-mind and inevitably collaborate with those who disagree with us.
Our core valueS
CRITICAL THINKING
open-mindedness
Critical thinking is a vital part of discourse. The ability to dissect ideas and identify what makes them strong or faulty allows us to challenge others' beliefs, but more importantly, our own. Through analyzing modern-day issues and argumentation, we instill a lens of logical analysis within our students, thus helping them become critical thinkers. ​
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Open-mindedness is the foundation of human connection. SpeakUp wants its students to passionately advocate for their ideas, but at the same time, be willing to step out of their comfort zone and see things from all perspectives. Recognizing that every individual's beliefs is a product of their experiences helps our students become open-minded and empathetic communicators.
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